HUNTSVILLE, AL - This month, Alice Hereford's kindergartners at West Mastin Lake Elementary School have learned the contributions blacks have made through their inventions and their art.

Last week, they got a taste of another contribution - their food.

"We're getting them out of the classroom to tantalize their senses," Hereford said as her students lined up to get a plate of goodies at the school's Cultural Tasting Fair.

The culinary standards of black Americans were a big part of the offerings the teachers at West Mastin Lake prepared for the celebration of Black History Month.

While the tables set up in the entry foyer of the school fairly groaned with standard soul foods such as pinto beans, fried chicken and macaroni and cheese, some teachers brought additions such as Hawaiian bread and spicy tortilla swirls.

"We wanted to feel inclusive," said Principal John Humphrey of the eclectic spread. Besides, "I think there's a teacher who makes really good spinach dip."

Mary Beth Duncan, the school's librarian, brought grit cakes to the tasting fair in honor of her American Indian culture. She also wore a fringed leather dress and headband while many of the teachers wore dresses and tops made from kente cloth, colorful woven cloth originated in Africa.

The intention of the tasting fair was to offer students a "little bite of this and a little bite of that," said fifth-grade teacher Jackie Sawyer.

As they headed toward the tables, the students filed past a Powerpoint that explained the cultural significance of some of the foods on the table, including king cake, a staple of Mardi Gras celebrations.

Humphrey and Duncan took turns reading from the Powerpoint to the students, and Humphrey handed out Mardi Gras beads to complete the cultural color of the event.

What he didn't do was eat, especially the food so often linked to black culture.

"Is that hominy? Yuck," he said, looking at a small pot filled with white balls of dehulled corn.

Humphrey said he had his fill of pinto beans and collards and other "soul food" when he was growing up.

"The only normal food we ate was on Saturday night when we watched "Perry Mason" and ate hot dogs," Humphrey said. "Now, I liked that."

Despite their principal's opinion, many of the children enjoy the traditional foods their mothers and grandmothers fix for dinner.

Jabraelan Carter likes his grandmother's cornbread and black-eyed peas, but if he had to name his favorite food?